It is known to provide an electrical connector with a latching means that comprises a male housing and a female housing which are matable with each other, the male housing having a latching arm which is provided with a latching projection, the latching arm being fixed to the front end of the outer wall of the male housing at its one end and extending rearward with a small inclination angle to the outer wall surface, the female housing being provided with a latching section which engages the latching projection of the latching arm to latch the two housings together when the female housing is mated with the male housing.
An advantage of such latching means lies in that the engagement of the latching projection with the latching section can be released by simply depressing downward the free end of the latching arm when removing the male housing from the female housing. However, in this latching means, the latching arm provided on the male housing must have a fixed end latching projection and depressing portion for its necessary construction, and the latching projection must be spaced apart from the fixed end and the depressing portion with an adequate distance respectively therebetween. But the latching arm of a connector, in which the mating of the male housing into the female housing is shallow, cannot be long enough in the direction of mating to meet the above-mentioned requirement thereby rendering a latching means of this type not applicable.
Moreover, in this latching means, the latching arm is provided on the male housing projecting outwardly from the outer wall surface thereof; thus, extra space is needed in the female housing for incorporating the latching arm thereby prohibiting the connector from being smaller.